Board of Education announces committee assignments

Joyce Wilkerson (right) is the president of the Philadelphia Board of Education. Wayne Walker is vice president. The other members pictured are Angela McIver and Maria McColgan. (Photo by Greg Windle)

The new Board of Education has announced the members of its four committees, which will play a key role in the body’s work.

Board Chair Joyce Wilkerson made the appointments after each of the nine members spoke at the board’s first public meeting about which committees he or she preferred and why. The appointments are still tentative and will have to be approved at the board’s next meeting on Aug. 16.

The largest committee is the Student Achievement and Support Committee, which has six members and will be led by Chris McGinley and Angela McIver. That committee will also look at the role of charter schools.

McGinley, who also served on the School Reform Commission, is a former teacher, principal, and suburban school superintendent. McIver has been a middle school teacher and runs a math enrichment program. Her three children attend District schools.

Other members of that committee are Julia Danzy, Leticia Egea-Hinton, Mallory Fix Lopez, and Maria McColgan.

“Committees will provide us with many opportunities to partner with the Philadelphia community that we serve around key District governance matters,” said Wilkerson in a statement. “We are encouraging the public and all stakeholders to participate in committee meetings.”

In addition to being a member of the Finance and Facilities Committee, Wilkerson will also serve as ex-officio member of the other committees. The policy committee is made up of at least one co-chair of each of the other committees to facilitate collaboration.

Board members made it clear at their first meeting that they plan to conduct all committee meetings in public and that they see them as a vehicle for community engagement and participation. Meeting materials will be posted on the board’s web page in advance of each meeting.

The first meeting will be hosted by the Finance Committee at 10 a.m. on Sept. 6. Other meeting dates will be posted on the board’s web page once they are scheduled.